Mom
by NovelistServant
Summary: It's Mother's Day and Nick has decided to introduce Judy to his mother. Things aren't quite as you would expect them, howver, and the day leaves Nick with a hole in his heart.


The sky was cloudy, teasing the city below with glimpses of the sun every once in a while. It would shine softly, and then hide again. Mammals were calm and quiet, for the air held a soft breeze and was cool in the warm, cozy air. Grass and tree-leaves danced gently and many windows were left opened so those stuck inside could enjoy the weather.

He was on his knees in the soft, green grass, his light-brown pants covering his red-furred legs. His paws rested on his knees and his head was bent down to make it difficult to look what was in front of him. A single tear squeezed out of his tightly-shut eye and rolled down his cheek to fall onto the grave below.

Judy watched tenderly from behind him, close to the dirt path that winded through the cemetery with ease. Her lavender eyes ached and she red the tombstone in front of Nick. While Judy got to spend the day talking to her mother and watching her react to the gift she sent through the mail, Nick had to spend it in pain.

Normally, he didn't care about the day. It was as normal as any other Sunday, but this year was different. He wanted to make the most of it, despite how much it would hurt. No more tears escaped his green eyes, and he could hear himself say his famous quote.

"Don't let them see that they get to you."

She was the only one who saw it, not including Judy. She saw who he could become and never stopped believing. He was a decade late, but he managed to prove her right.

She did not have the best life. She fell for a handsome, cunning, vixen-eater of a fox in high school. With distant parents and no one else around, she fell in love with the only man who cared for her. Sadly, that left to her moving out and never speaking to her parents again.

Later, she had a son before she was an adult and he left her, never to be seen or heard from again. She refused to go back or to back down. With a broken heart, she worked hard to make a life for her and her son, who thank God looked nothing like his father, and she found that Nick was the only one that could mend her heart.

She was proud to have raised such a law-biding, kind, loyal, good-hearted son, and was even more proud when he wanted to join the Junior Ranger Scouts. She squeezed in every hour she could and saved up enough money to even buy him a new uniform. It wasn't easy, being a female fox, to get good hours and pay, but she managed at the end of the day.

What broke her heart deeper than ever before, was seeing her son change. He came home with his fur wet with tears and his uniform dirty and scratched up, and his hat was missing. He yelled out what happened and went into his room with a slam before she could see any more tears.

For the next three years, she had a quiet Nick. He got caught once for selling hall-passes and he was so scared to disappoint her that she suspected he would faint when they finally talked about it. He did what he could to make a living, and the soft spot in him always had him help her.

When he was twelve, he started to earn a lot of money, being a con-man. He made almost $100 a day, $200 when he wasn't in school. He only went to keep a low profile and to make her feel better. Nick put most of it into the bank, being mostly concerned in just having money, but he gave some to her to help with bills or get her something nice.

As good as his intentions were, she hated every penny. She wanted him to earn an honest living and be more than what people expect him to be, but he saw no point in being anything else.

Nick graduated high school with a 3.5 GPA, mostly due to craftiness on how to get a fast A. He had no plans on going to college and went straight to work. The month after she hugged him in a gown, he moved out so she wouldn't have to provide for him anymore, but he always visited and always sent money to "pay her back".

That was years ago. She didn't live very long. She didn't tell him, and when he found out, there was little to be done. She died when she was forty, but she seemed to have lived a life of someone who lived a century.

That was a decade ago. Now, he had become the man she knew he was. A little late, yes, but he finally found what he wanted to do and was doing just that. An officer for the ZPD, the first fox officer, he had an awesome partner and lover, an honest living, and many friends. He lived a life to be proud of, just like she believed he would.

He looked up at the stone and red the words engraved.

 _ **Virginia E. Wilde**_  
 _ **Born: January 14, 1967**_  
 _ **Died: November 3, 2007**_

 _ **Death cannot stop love. Only delay it for a while.**_

Nick wished that more had been said. She deserved more than a name, a few dates, and a lousy quote. His eyes stung again, but he forced himself to remain composed. Just a little bit longer. That was all he asked.

He turned to look at Judy, who still stood, merely watching, not so sure if she should let him be, or be right there to comfort him. He helped her decide and motioned a paw over. The bunny smiled and walked to his left. She knelt down and he put a kind paw on her right shoulder.

He remembered meeting Judy's parents for the first time at a weekend-visit to Bunnyburrows. Stu was shaky and a tad on edge but a quick talk showed that they had a bit in common, and Bonnie found him very charming and loved him almost instantly. Needless to say, Nick was on good terms, or as good as one could hope for, and now it was his turn to introduce his partner to his family.

"Judy," He said and motioned his free paw to the grave. "This is my mom."

Judy only smiled. What she would give to meet her in person. He spoke little of her and never saw any pictures in his apartment, but the times he did speak of her, he spoke very highly and he admitted to what happened to her once on a date, very stiffly and fast.

She hesitated, not sure how Nick would feel about it, but she went with her gut, it did her well in the past, and she laid her right paw on her name, almost like shaking hands. "It's nice to meet you. Thank you, for giving me Nick."

He stared straight ahead without looking, his vision blurring and his chest rising and deeper, but he smiled bigger than he had all day. Judy noticed it and drew her paw away from the stone to hold Nick's. He squeezed it back in thanks and allowed a few tears and a single sniff escape, allowing the two women he loved more than anything see that they got to him.

Judy was proud of him for coming down and introducing her to his mother. She knew that she would have been proud, too. Proud of him for overcoming stereotypes. Proud for finding his passion in life and doing what he truly loved to do. Proud to find someone so loving, brave, strong, intelligent, and compassionate to love.

They might have sat there for a minute, or an hour, or several. They didn't know, nor cared. Finally, Nick was ready to leave. Judy kept holding his paw and held his arm as well as they got up and turned towards the path. Together, they walked out of the cemetery, and back into the busy city, where they would live the rest of their lives together with her blessing.


End file.
